Saving Grace
by clarinetluvr811
Summary: AU. Set a month after Always. Beckett's first case back on the job is a tough one. A 15 year old girl is affected, reminding her of her mother's case. Will she be able to solve this one though?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This story takes place in an AU, about a month after Always. Kate is working on her first case back on the job, while Esposito has been back for two weeks. Beckett and Castle are still in a relationship and Ryan and Esposito made up after Esposito got off suspension.**

Beckett fumbled around the nightstand, looking for the object that disrupted her peaceful slumber.

"Beckett," she answered groggily. She was supposed to show up later that morning for her first day back at the precinct, but it seemed a murderer thought differently.

"Morning Beckett," Ryan said. "We have a body, call Castle and get over here. Esposito is texting you the intersection now." With that, he hung up.

Call Castle. Beckett wanted to laugh at that. They had told the gang a week ago about their new relationship. 'Ryan must have forgot,' Beckett thought to herself.

The man she needed to call was spooning her at the moment. One strong arm was wrapped around her waist, making escaping impossible.

Beckett rolled over in her bed and kissed the love of her life on his bare chest.

"Come on Rick. We have a body to attend to."

"But I don't want to," Rick pouted. Kate laughed for real this time, kissing the pout off his lips.

"Fine. But if it's a really interesting case, don't expect me to fill you in on the details when you do decide to join us."

That did the trick. Castle shot out of bed and raced to her closet, taking a shirt, jacket, and pants that had acquired part of her closet. Beckett laughed once more before getting out of bed and changing, wondering what the day would bring for her.

* * *

"Good morning Beckett, Castle," Esposito greeted as the duo approached the alley off the intersection. "Lanie'll fill you in on the vic."

Beckett nodded at Ryan, who had just joined them, before turning her attention to her best friend.

"What'cha got Lanie?" Beckett and Castle asked at the same time.

"Vic is a male. Esposito's got the ID," Lanie started, smiling at the two lovebirds in front of her.

"Rahul Wilkins, 40 according to his license, lives not too far from here."

"Right," Beckett nodded. "Go on," she urged Lanie.

"Looks to be Indian. COD is a single GSW to the forehead, 9 mm by the look of it. I can roughly place TOD at 6 pm to 11 pm last night, I'll let you know when I get him back to the morgue."

"Okay great. Ryan, I'm assuming you got uniforms to canvass the area?" Beckett asked.

"Yep, I did. They should be done within the hour." Ryan replied. He knew that Beckett forgave him, but after everything that happened last month, he still wanted to stay on her good side.

"Alright. Let's head back to the precinct and start setting up a murder board."

* * *

Upon arriving at the precinct, Castle and Beckett had started on the murder board. Ryan was going through financials and Esposito was digging up anything on the victim that would help with the case.

"Beckett, you might want to check this out," Ryan stated.

"What's up?" Beckett asked.

"Financials for Wilkins only goes back to 2002. It's like he didn't even exist before then."

"Maybe I can help with that," Esposito said. "I decided to dig deeper. Rahul Wilkins did not exist before 2002. His real name is Rahul Patel. In fact, Wilkins is the maiden name of his wife, Elizabeth who was murdered in 2002." He pulled up a picture of her.

"Was it solved?" Castle asked.

"No. There were no leads. It was a rape and murder. Bastard must have used a condom." Esposito said, looking at the pretty Caucasian woman, feeling remorse for her.

"Alright, let me update the murder board." Beckett said, walking over to the board.

"Wait Beckett there's one more thing." Esposito said, hesitantly.

"What is it?"

"Rahul has a 15 year old daughter. Grace Wilkins."


	2. Chapter 2

The precinct was eerily quiet, and not only because it was 5 am.

Kate stood where she was at the murder board in horror. She couldn't remember the last time there was a case like this, if ever. A 15-year-old girl was left with murdered parents. What if her dad was murdered? She would feel lost.

Ryan was sitting at his desk. The pain he was feeling evident on his face. What would Grace be like when she found out her dad was murdered?

Castle swallowed the bile building up in the back of his throat. He couldn't imagine how Alexis would feel if he was ever murdered.

Esposito was pissed. The son of a bitch who did this was going to pay. He hadn't even met Grace yet, but he wanted to help reduce her soon to be pain.

Beckett broke the silence. "I normally advise someone to stay here at the precinct, but I feel like we should all talk to Grace."

The three men nodded. They all needed to be there to tell the 15-year-old. They all needed to give her support.

"I got the address to the apartment here," Esposito said.

* * *

The four of them made their way up to the apartment. It was 5:30 and Grace was sure to be on her summer break, so she was probably still sleeping.

Beckett approached the door first and knocked. Hearing no movement inside, she knocked once again. Preparing to knock a third time, the door swung open, revealing a very tired looking Grace Wilkins. She was about 5 foot 6 and slim built. She did not have the appearance to take such horrible news they were bringing well.

"Good morning. Can I help you?" Grace asked politely but tiredly.

"Good morning Grace. I'm Detective Kate Beckett. To my left is my partner, Rick Castle. To my right is Detective Javier Esposito and Detective Kevin Ryan. We're of the 12th precinct. Do you mind if we come in?"

"Of course not, do come in?" Grace smiled, opening the door far enough to allow the four adults in. Once Ryan was in the door, she closed it and turned to face the adults.

"Grace, is there somewhere we can talk?" Esposito asked.

"Yes, here please take a seat." Grace said, gesturing to the two couches. She sat on the recliner.

"Grace we have some bad news. It's about your father." Beckett said.

"What'd he do?" Grace asked.

"It's not what he did, it's about what happened to him." Ryan replied.

"I'm sorry to sound abrupt, but can you please tell me what happened to him? I'm confused as to what happened. Is he not home? Because he usually doesn't come home until 11:30 and I'm normally asleep by then. He always stays late at work."

"Grace, your father is dead." Kate said after a short period of silence.

"Wh- what? How?" Grace stammered, the shock taking over her features.

"He was murdered." Ryan said silently.

"Murdered? My mom was murdered!" Grace practically yelled.

"Yes, we know. We are so sorry." Castle said.

"Oh God. First my mom, now my dad. Detectives, Mr. Castle, I have no family. My dad was the only thing I had left. And now he's gone!" Grace sobbed.

The four adults sat in silence while the young girl broke down in front of them. They were all going to do whatever it took the catch the sick bastard who took Grace's only family.

"Grace, is it okay if we ask a few questions? It's alright if you aren't ready. We can come back another time." Beckett asked, whispering.

Grace sniffled. "No it's okay. Now's a good time."

"Actually it's basically one question. Can you start with your mother's murder and work your way up to now?" Beckett asked.

"It's easier if I start before. My dad was a businessman, always making trips between India and Manhattan. One day on one of his trips to Manhattan, he met my mom, Elizabeth Wilkins. Fell head over heels in love with her. They dated a year before they tied the knot on August 11, 1995. They were both 23. A year later on that same day, I was born. I was their one-year anniversary present. 6 years later on that same day in 2002, my mom was murdered. She was coming home to celebrate my 6th birthday and my parents' anniversary. She just had to pick up the cake on the way home. That's when she got pulled into an alley and got raped and murdered. They never caught the guy.

"After I finished my first grade year, we moved down to Florida. We changed our name from Patel to Wilkins. My dad wanted to honor my mother's name somehow. He worked as a real estate agent. In 2010, we moved back here to Manhattan, right before my freshman year of high school. My dad was finally ready to face this city again. He sent me off to a good private school, the one that's about 5 blocks from here."

Castle recognized the school she was talking about. It was the same, small private school he sent Alexis off to for a great education. He made a note to ask his daughter about Grace later.

"My dad got a job at some hot shot real estate company. Here's his card," Grace said, handing the card on the coffee table to Ryan. "He's been working hard lately to get a promotion, that's why he doesn't come home until 11:30. Or should I say did. He's dead now." Grace finished off, trying hard not to cry again.

"Thank you Grace. I think you told us everything we need. We'll keep you updated." Beckett said, rising up from her spot next to Castle. The three men followed suit and headed towards the door.

"Detective Beckett, is it okay if I speak to you in private for a quick second?" Grace asked nervously.

Beckett was a little surprised, but nonetheless she answered, "Um okay sure." Addressing the boys she said, "I'll see you guys outside."

Beckett made her way over to where Grace still sat in the recliner.

"Detective, are you the one in charge of the group solving my dad's murder?" Grace asked, her eyes not leaving the floor.

"Yes I am, Grace."

"Then can you do me a favor?" Grace asked.

"I can try my best," Beckett answered honestly.

"Please solve this one for me," Grace requested timidly, her voice shaky. Her eyes met Beckett's and Beckett could see the great sorrow in them.

"The guy who did this will be caught. I will not let this case become cold." Beckett answered firmly, for the girl's sake. Deep down inside, Beckett felt like breaking down. Grace's pain matched her own when she found out her mother was killed all those years ago.

"Thank you, Detective. I'll show you out," Grace said, standing on shaky legs to let the Detective out.

Beckett had a feeling she was going to see more of this girl; more than any other family member of a victim she had previously encountered.

This case hit close to home.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys, I've been traveling, which is why I haven't been able to update this story. But I'm back home now, so I'll get to writing. This chapter is more Caskett focused and M-rated.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own the show, because if I did, I probably wouldn't be writing fanfiction, haha.**

* * *

Kate gasped as Rick plunged into her warmth, still not used to the fact at how perfectly they fit.

"God," she gasped, kissing his sweaty shoulder, "We're so perfect."

"Like we were made for each other, love," Rick panted, slowly withdrawing to the tip before plunging into Kate's wetness again.

It was only a matter of time before Kate came, Rick's own thrusts become frantic and shallow as he lost it himself.

Pushing himself off of her, Rick pulled himself out of her, Kate whimpering at missing the contact.

They lay together, forgetting the events of the day, and allowed the waves of sleep to crash over them.

* * *

Rick awoke a short time later. Instead of seeing Kate, he saw the empty side of her bed. Looking past this to the clock on her bedside table, he saw the time and groaned. 'Where could she be at 2:47 a.m.?' he thought.

Castle slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of the tiredness. He got up and looked to the floor, noticing that all of Kate's clothes were still there and that his shirt was missing, leaving his red boxers and black suit pants looking lonely on the plush of the carpeted floor. He grabbed his boxers and put them on before venturing out into Kate's apartment.

He found her almost immediately, sitting on the raised nook by the giant window where she normally read while he typed up his next bestseller or whatever review Gina wants him to write for this book or that. But instead of reading, she looked outside at the bustling city of Manhattan below, for even at 2:47 a.m the city bloomed life.

"Hey," Rick said, softly, shyly.

Kate turned to look at him and gave him a slight smile, "Hey."

"Mind if I join you?" He asked, once again shyly.

"Sure."

Rick paused on his walk over to the nook. 'Uh oh,' he thought, 'One word responses. Something is on her mind.'

Shaking himself from his thoughts, he continued his walk to the nook and climbed the few steps up until he was next to Kate. Pushing a stack of books out of the way, mainly Patterson, he noted, he sat next to her. Unsure if she wanted comfort or not, Rick hesitated before putting an arm around her form, before relaxing when Kate eased at the contact. He pulled her closer to him and held her tightly, this time using both arms as a sort of protected embrace around Kate's somewhat small form. 5'9" or not, Kate oozed off a little girl aurora at the moment.

"You okay?" Castle asked after a minute of silence.

"Just thinking is all."

"About what?"

"The case. And Grace," Beckett responded.

"Hey that rhymed! Case. Grace. They're rhyming words!" Castle said with glee.

"And there's my nine-year old on a sugar rush," Kate said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm sorry it's the writer in me," Castle started to explain.

"I know, no need to explain. It just amazes me that even at nearly 3 in the morning, you still can be a nine-year old."

"I can be serious if you want me to," Castle said, remembering that Beckett was saying that she was thinking about the case. And Grace. He almost smiled at that again.

"I know you can. Trust me, I've learned that in our four years of working together. But I think that comic relief is what I needed." Kate said, turning in his arms to look at him, the first time since he joined her up there.

"Really?" Castle asked, not sure if he was completely forgiven.

"Really. Don't worry about me. I was just thinking. I'm fine. Or at least, I will be."

"You sure?" Castle asked.

"Yes I am. Thanks for your concern though, Castle. It means a lot to me," Beckett said.

"Always," Rick simply responded.

Always. That word has so much meaning for the two. It's their way of saying of 'I love you' to each other. Rick has said those three words, but Kate still had to. They had been together for about a month and she still hadn't said them. Kate automatically felt bad. Of course she loves him. 'He's my one and done,' she thought, 'but I think it's time if I return those three words. His actions tonight have reminded me of why I love him so much.'

"I love you," Kate voiced aloud.

"Yeah I know. I've known for a while now." Rick replied.

"You have?" Kate asked, shocked, "It's been that obvious?"

"Um, well no not really obvious," Rick answered, "But I figured it out two years ago when you lost that bet on purpose and let me shadow you again."

"You figured out that I did that on purpose, huh," Kate responded.

"Yeah. There's no way one of New York's finest could have gotten motive wrong and a ride along civilian get it right. It didn't add up to me after the case. Until I concluded that you did it because you were in love with me," Rick reasoned.

"I was in love with you then, and even before that I think." Kate said in wonder, realizing just how fast four years have gone by.

"Well, since you're admitting your love for me, I must say it again. I love you Kate, so so much. I've loved you for years too, and I'm glad we've finally figured it out. It only took us four years." Rick said.

They both sat in silence for a bit, thinking of their future together and wondering how many years they will have as a couple.

'The future sits bright, but the present still remains dark.' The thought is at the back of both of their minds.

But at that moment, the present finally threw it's first match, showing light and hope for a dark time.


	4. Chapter 4

"Good morning Lanie," Castle said as he and Beckett entered the morgue.

"Hey Lanie. What'd you find on Rahul?" Beckett asked.

"I've narrowed TOD to 10 pm to 11pm last night. I also examined the GSW more closely. The shooter must have been really close to Rahul. He died as soon as the bullet hit his forehead, a lot quicker than if the shooter was further away. I found evidence supporting this. If you look at his torso, you can see fist marks. And on his wrists there are signs of struggle. Mr. Wilkins did not go down without a fight."

"Alright. Thanks for letting me know. This will help a lot," Beckett said, starting to leave the morgue with Castle trailing her like a lost puppy.

"Just doing my job, hon!" Lanie shouted before the doors closed.

No sooner had the doors closed than they reopened, revealing Castle like he forgot something.

"Alexis!" He called out to his daughter.

Alexis appeared out of the doorway to the office where she had been quiet the whole time.

"Hey dad. What's up?" Alexis asked, wondering if he came to say good morning or for something more.

"Good morning pumpkin. I actually have a question for you, too. Do you know a Grace Wilkins?"

"Yes I love her! Even though she's two grades lower than me, she has got to be one of the smartest underclassmen at the school. We met in the Literature Club at my school. I also know that she plays the clarinet for the school band. She's really good. She told me she snagged the top spot for the upcoming year. Wait, how do you know her?" Alexis suddenly became worried.

"Oh... um..." Castle looked to Beckett, who had returned to the morgue when she realized her shadow was no longer behind her.

"It's okay, Castle. I trust that she won't tell anyone." Beckett reassured her boyfriend.

"She has to do with the case we're working on." Castle said quietly.

"Wait is this her father?" Alexis asked, waving a hand towards the corpse on the slab. Seeing her father's nod, she became teary eyed. "Poor Grace! She must be so upset. What's going to happen to her? She has no family."

"Well," Beckett started, "She eventually will have to go to an adoption agency. She's only about to turn 16. But for now, she will remain living on her own until the case is closed."

Alexis nodded in understanding. "I won't tell anyone I know. Not even Grace. I promise."

"We know that sweetie," Lanie finally spoke up, "It's okay. How about you go take a short break and when you're ready you can continue sorting out the files?"

Alexis nodded and left the morgue.

Castle let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in.

"Kate, how are you holding up?" Lanie asked, beginning to become concerned with her best friend after learning about Grace and her lack of a family.

"I'm holding up. This case is already rough. It's hitting close to home. I can't imagine how it would feel like to lose both of your parents to murder at such a young age. And I thought I was unlucky that my mom was murdered when I was 19. This poor girl has her whole life ahead of her and neither of her parents are here to see it," Beckett sighed.

"You sure you want to work this one?" her best friend asked.

Kate nodded vigorously, "Yes. I promised Grace that I would do my best to catch the guy who did this. I'm not letting this one become cold like my mother's case. This girl deserves the closure of at least one of her parent's cases."

Lanie knew better than to ask what had happened with Grace's mother. All she had needed to know was whether or not it had been solved, and apparently it hadn't.

"You want to visit her, don't you?" This time, Castle asked the question.

Kate nodded, "I want to check up on her. Maybe ask her some more questions and then get Ryan and Espo to check the leads. But more than that, I just want to comfort her. I don't know what it is about this girl, but I think she's changing my life. And I barely know her yet."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I guess I should clear something up. When Lanie said last chapter "I've narrowed TOD to 10 pm to 11 pm last night", she meant that she narrowed it down to that time frame the night before, not that Rahul was murdered at that time last night. I realized that might cause confliction for some readers.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Castle. Darn.**

* * *

Kate knocked on the apartment door, hoping that its occupant was awake.

The door opened to reveal a very tired looking Grace.

"Hello Detective Beckett. Please come in," Grace sounded like the words were forced.

"Thanks Grace," Beckett said, cautiously.

"How are you doing, sweetheart?" Beckett let the term of endearment slip subconsciously.

"To be honest, not that great. I haven't been able to sleep. Before my dad died, all he could talk about was my 16th birthday next month. He sounded more excited than I did. Now, every time I think about our conversations about it, I can't help but feel sad. My dad was looking forward to seeing me turn 16. He said he couldn't wait to see his daughter almost becoming an adult, slowly gaining the privileges of an adult, like driving. He was supposed to take me to get my license next month..." Grace trailed off sadly.

When she saw Beckett's face, a mix between surprise and comfort, Grace said, "I'm sorry Detective. Did I over share? I tend to do that a lot with people I trust."

Kate's heart skipped a beat. This girl _trusted_ her. She wished she had had someone to trust when her mother was murdered.

"Oh no, it's fine. I actually have a couple of questions."

"Shoot. Not literally, of course," Grace said with a hint of humor in her voice.

"Did your father work with anyone who might be jealous of his dedication?" Beckett started.

"No, not that I can think of. But then again, he never really talked to me about work." Grace answered truthfully.

"Who was his boss?"

"I believe his name is Charles Witman. He's the head honcho of Witman Realtors. But you also might want to check out a Tyler Coffings. He's the head of the Manhattan Division." Grace said, watching Beckett as she wrote down the information.

"What were your dad's hours like?" Beckett asked next.

"Monday thru Friday. Most people worked from 9 to 9, but my dad has been working from 8 to 10. It normally takes an hour and a half to get home sometimes. He likes walking to the cemetery were my mom was buried, which takes about half an hour from his work. Then he takes the subway to the stop two blocks from here and gets here around 11:30 pm." Grace replied.

"Just out of curiosity, where is your mother buried?"

"At Trinity Church."

Beckett paused. Trinity Church was where her mother was buried.

"One last question and then I'm done. This is probably really awkward, but I have to ask this and see if there are any leads this way. Was your father seeing anyone?"

"It's not awkward at all, Detective. No, he wasn't. At least not recently. My father and I grew really close after my mother was murdered. He always brought home any woman he was seeing at the time. I haven't seen him bring anyone home in three months." Grace answered.

"I think that's it for now Grace. Thanks," Beckett said, standing to walk to the door.

Grace walked with her and opened it for her.

"Detective?" Grace called from the threshold.

"Kate, Grace. Call me Kate," Beckett said with a soft smile.

Grace nodded, "Kate, I like you. I trust you. And really, I have no one right now. Even if you don't need to ask about my father, you are welcome to come here any time you want. I could use the company," she finished timidly.

Beckett nodded, "I'll keep that in mind Grace. Stay safe."

With that, Grace closed the door and Beckett started to make her way back to the Twelfth.


End file.
